A MYSTERY.
THE two boys kept well apart from the crew, and watched closely for
any signs of threatened trouble, but, although the men looked sullen
and ugly enough for any kind of act, they seemed much subdued and went
about their tasks quietly saying little, even to each other.
"I guess we are giving ourselves a lot of worry without cause," Walter
remarked, softly. "Those fellows seem quiet enough now. It was the
liquor that made them act as they did last night, but they have drank
it all up now and I do not believe we will have any more trouble with
them."
"I wish I could agree with you," his chum said, gravely, "but I can't.
I believe in the old Latin proverb--'in vino veritas'--there is
truth in wine. I've always noticed that when a man gets intoxicated,
he reveals just the kind of man he really is. If he is naturally
quarrelsome when sober he is sure to want to fight when drinking. If he
is good-hearted and kind when sober, he is generally good-humored when
drunk. Liquor seems to destroy a man's caution and make him reveal his
real character. Now these fellows showed plainly their feelings towards
us last night when they were drinking. To-day they are sober and more
cautious, but I believe they feel just the same towards us. It only
needs some real or fancied wrong to bring their hatred to the surface
again. I believe if we had a clash with one of them now we would have a
first-class mutiny on our hands; but, I guess, we had not better do any
more whimpering. They will suspect that we are discussing them and it
will not improve matters any."
For awhile the sponges came up from below every half hour, but towards
noon a full hour went by without the basket making its appearance. The
lads, at last, became somewhat alarmed at the delay.
"Do you suppose they are in any trouble down below?" Charley enquired
of Manuel.
The Greek shook his head. "They would have signaled if anything had
been wrong. There, they are signaling now."
There came several jerks on the life-lines and the Greeks in charge of
them pulled the divers up and into the boat. The men had been below
for only an hour and the boys were puzzled to account for their coming
up before their time had expired. When their head-pieces were removed
the lads could see that the divers were greatly excited. They spoke
rapidly to those around them, and a hum of excited conversation arose
from the before listless crew.
"What's the matter?" Charley demanded of Manuel, who seemed to be the
most excited of all.
"It is nothing," was the quick reply. "The men grew faint for a minute
but they will be all right soon. That often happens to one when diving."
The Greek's excitement was too great for such a trivial cause and
Charley decided promptly that he was lying.
In a few minutes the divers resumed their head-pieces and prepared to
descend again. As they stood on the ladders one of the crew handed one
of them a coil of light rope to the end of which was attached a piece
of light wood.
"What does he want with that buoy?" Charley demanded, sharply.
"There's a bad hole in the bottom which he wishes to mark so that there
will be no danger of his blundering into it," replied Manuel promptly,
but, again, Charley decided that the fellow was lying.
"There's something in the wind," he remarked to Walter. "The crew seem
greatly excited, and Manuel, I am sure, is lying."
A strange change had suddenly taken place in the crew's manner. Before,
they had been silent, sullen and listless, now, they were animated,
their eyes glittered with excitement, and they chattered back and forth
like so many magpies.
Manuel evidently noticed that the boys were watching them closely,
for he addressed them in a low tone and their chattering ceased. They
resumed their work with something like a return of their former manner,
but it was easy to see that their sullenness was now assumed.
The lads turned their attention to the course the diver was taking, and
watched for the appearance of the buoy which would show the whereabouts
of the bad place on the bottom. The bit of wood soon floated into view
not a hundred feet from the boat.
Apparently, the divers were still suffering from their faintness, for
it was a long time after they descended before the first basket load of
sponges appeared, and it was nearly an hour before the second one was
hoisted aboard.
"We are not getting many to-day," Walter grumbled. "If we don't do
better pretty soon, we had better move and try another place."
"There is something queer doing," Charley declared. "Just watch those
life-lines and see what you make of it."
The ropes which were fastened to the divers showed plainly the
direction taken by the men below. The lines were kept faintly taut
to permit of the signals being clearly felt, and their slant gave an
accurate idea of just where the divers were working.
Walter watched for awhile, a puzzled frown gathering on his face.
"Why," he exclaimed, "they are right on that bad part of bottom, and
they haven't stirred for the last fifteen minutes."
The lads continued to watch the tell-tale lines. For another fifteen
minutes the ropes remained motionless, then from their twitching it
became evident that the divers were once more moving around. In a short
time thereafter, the usual signal was given and two baskets of sponges
were hoisted up.
"That's got me puzzled," said Charley, as the peculiar performance was
repeated. "I guess we had better appear not to have noticed it. The
crew is not looking at us in a very friendly way."
The attitude of the Greeks seemed to be growing hostile. Many were the
unfriendly glances they cast at the two lads and the boys could hear
their names repeated in the low-toned conversation going on.
The two lads retired to the bow where, though they effected to be
taking their ease, they kept on the alert for the first signs of
trouble.
Though nothing happened to further arouse their fears, it was a trying
situation and both were glad when the time came to return to the
schooner.
They found the captain and Chris both tired from a hard day's labor
cleaning sponges. The wounded sailor was sitting back by the wheel,
looking somewhat pale and haggard, but not a great deal the worse for
his many wounds.
"His troubles' been sorter praying on his mind all day," said the
captain. "He got a hold of my pad and pencil this morning an' he's been
drawing pictures of the fight and other things--here's one of them."
The old sailor produced a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.
Walter examined the sketch closely. It was not without a certain
cleverness and was better than one would expect of a humble sailor
before the mast. It depicted a struggle between two groups of men. In
one of the groups, the lad could recognize some of the faces of the
Greeks, who, armed with knives and clubs, were assailing the other
party. As the lad bent over to examine the other group more closely, he
uttered an exclamation of surprise. At first glance there was nothing
startling about those whom the Greeks were fighting, but a second
glance showed something familiar about the figures composing it. He
passed the sketch to Charley.
"What do you make of it?" he asked.
"Why, that little group is intended to represent us," his chum
exclaimed. "See they are just four in number. That big one with the
beard is meant for the captain and the little one for Chris, the other
two are you and I. Why, the likeness to us is quite striking when you
look at it closely."
"I believe he intended this for a warning to us," Walter declared.
"Where are the rest of the things he drew, Captain?"
"I threw them all away, I didn't reckon they meant anything," the old
sailor replied, regretfully.
"Well, never mind," said Charley cheerfully, "we will get him to draw
them over again. He seems a very intelligent fellow. I wish he could
talk so as to tell us what the crew are saying now. Just look at him."
The strange sailor was leaning forward listening eagerly to the buzz of
conversation going on between the Greeks. The diving boat's crew seemed
to have conveyed the excitement under which they had been laboring all
day to their shipmates who had remained aboard the schooner. Groups of
two or three were gathered here and there, talking eagerly together.
Walter called the little Greek lad to him.
"What are the men talking about, Ben?"
The little fellow hesitated before replying. It was plain that he was
greatly troubled and frightened. "They talk about nothing much," he
stammered.
Walter was pressing him with further questions when his chum interfered.
"It's hardly fair to make him tell," he said. "It might cause him a lot
of trouble. His uncle is glaring at him now, as though he would like to
kill him."
There was nothing to be learned by watching the crew's actions, so,
signing to the wounded sailor to follow them, the four chums descended
to the cabin where the Greek cook had supper waiting for them.
Charley was unusually quiet during the meal, but when the Greek cook
and Ben had at last retired carrying the dishes with them, he arose and
closed the cabin door.
"Captain," he said as he returned to his companions, "I am going down
in a diving suit to-morrow."